


Scientific Reasons

by katierosefun



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Extended Scene, F/M, Missing Scene, Not What It Looks Like, Truth Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-26 07:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6229405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katierosefun/pseuds/katierosefun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Set shortly after 2x15. Very light Snowwells.] “Anything else?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. </p><p>Harry let out an incredulous, dark chuckle. “This is all for scientific reasons?” he asked softly. </p><p>Caitlin didn’t miss a beat. “Of course,” she answered. “Weren’t you at least a little curious about your own doppelganger here?” She tugged out a chair and slid it in front of Harry. “Actually,” she said, placing her hands delicately on her lap. “Come on. Let’s switch off. You tell me something about my doppelganger, and I’ll tell you something about yours.”<br/>Harry’s eyes flitted down to meet Caitlin’s face. Caitlin couldn’t read his expression – and for a moment, she was sure that he would turn down the suggestion. Instead, Harry sat down at the edge of his bed and leaned forward, an odd smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Go on, then,” he said almost lightly, “let’s humor ourselves.” </p><p>At the last second, Caitlin added, “Three things at once. Two truths and a lie. Guess which one is the lie.” </p><p>Harry lifted an eyebrow. “And what would be the point in that?” </p><p>Caitlin matched his movement by raising a shoulder. “Makes things interesting.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scientific Reasons

“So you thought I was going to be Killer Frost.” It wasn’t a question or an offer – Caitlin was sure to say those words with a sense of finality. Cold, clear-cut and no fake, sweet glaze over what she was trying to say.

Harry, to Caitlin’s relief, looked up to face her. An expression of bewilderment flickered across his face – and then, with a small sigh, he said flatly, “So Barry and Cisco told you.”

“Barry told me – Cisco tried not to.” Caitlin replied, dropping her hands by her sides. “And just so you know, Cisco _tried_ not to tell me. He figured you’d get angry – or that I would _actually_ turn into Killer Frost if he told me about what happened on Earth-2.” As she said this last part, Caitlin felt a familiar twinge of annoyance in her chest. She hadn’t been too annoyed when Barry and Cisco finally broke down to tell her what was going on – she knew that there was probably a very good reason why they didn’t think it’d be a good idea to tell her – but the fact that it came from _Harry…_

Well, they were practically strangers, anyways. They didn’t know each other _that_ well –

Only Caitlin – how silly of her, really – had thought that by now, Harry would at least know her a little better than _that._ A little better than _this_.

“I told you before that this –” Caitlin’s voice wavered for a second. Blinking her eyes quickly, she averted her gaze from Harry and took a moment to clear her throat. She tried again – this time with her voice stronger, “I told you before that this happened to me already. Having someone who I… _cared_ about – _loved_ being taken away from me.”

“I know,” Harry replied, leaning against the wall. He was half-hidden by the shadows now, but Caitlin could still see the wary look on his face. “But it doesn’t mean that you’re used to it.”

“Of course it doesn’t,” Caitlin replied. She pressed her lips into a sad smile. “Who could get _used_ to this?” She plucked at an imaginary strand of thread from her shirt. “But my point is – and it’s a very, very, _very_ important point, so you better listen up.” She looked up at Harry this time, her eyes meeting his.

“I’m listening,” Harry replied simply.

“Good.” With a few sharp clacking sounds of her heels, Caitlin stood in front of Harry, her voice low and just barely sizzling with a newfound determination. “I am _not_ – nor will I _ever_ be – the Caitlin Snow from your Earth. I’m my own woman.”

Caitlin saw the corners of Harry’s lips twitch – though whether he was going to smile or frown, she couldn’t be absolutely sure. She only knew that she had his attention now, and she was going to take full advantage of it.

“So this won’t happen again, right?” Caitlin asked, though she made it clear that she wasn’t asking for anything.

“Telling you about Earth-2?”

“Well, that too – but I was talking more about trusting me enough to at least _tell_ me when there’s something wrong.” Caitlin folded her arms over her chest. “I mean, it was a little…off-putting to see Barry and Cisco walk around me like I was a bomb. Or, more accurately, I can’t have them walking around me like I was a killing _ice_ machine or _whatever_ I was on your Earth.”

“Killing ice machine works,” Harry said with a straight face.

Caitlin threw her hands up in the air. “There you have it.” She pursed her lips into a frown. “It doesn’t make any sense, though. Cisco and I already checked – I wasn’t affected by the particle accelerator explosion _here_ , so how could I even become Killer Frost in the first place? Not to mention – and I already told this to Cisco _and_ Barry – well…” She shuddered lightly. “She’s terrible! She’s not like me at all! She’s –”

“Cold? Calculated?”

“Those are _some_ of the words I’d choose to describe her,” Caitlin nodded. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “And I…” She let her voice drift for a moment. “When the particle accelerator first exploded, I didn’t really know what to _do_. I _did_ revert to being a workaholic – and I’m _focused_ , but even back then, I don’t think I’d actually be capable of being _her_.” She met Harry’s eyes again. Quietly, she added, “Just like the same way you can’t see yourself as the Harrison Wells on _our_ Earth.”

“I’m my own man,” Harry replied, and this time, Caitlin was the one to feel a smile threatening to shine.

“So that wasn’t fair, either.”

“It wasn’t.”

“And that’s why we’re not going to confuse ourselves.” Caitlin paused. Unable to fight her curiosity, she asked tentatively, “But just for future reference and – of course, for purely scientific reasons – what was she _like?_ Besides what I’ve already been told. Did you _know_ her on your Earth, by any chance?”

Both of Harry’s eyebrows lifted. To this, Caitlin offered a halfhearted grin. “I’m interested,” she explained. “I may be my own woman, but I want to know how this other version of me would have turned out.”

This time, Harry looked almost amused. He pushed himself off the wall, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t know her personally,” he said after a while. “But she was still a scientist – very much like you.”

“Then what changed?”

“You said you lost Ronnie when the particle accelerator exploded on your Earth,” Harry replied, casting Caitlin a sideways glance. “On my Earth, they might have been alive, but they lost something else, too. They were cast aside.”

Caitlin didn’t miss the way guilt seemed to flicker on Harry’s face – it had been just for a moment, but still, it was palpable. “Anything else?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Harry let out an incredulous, dark chuckle. “This is all for scientific reasons?” he asked softly.

Caitlin didn’t miss a beat. “Of course,” she answered. “Weren’t you at least a little curious about your own doppelganger here?” She tugged out a chair and slid it in front of Harry. “Actually,” she said, placing her hands delicately on her lap. “Come on. Let’s switch off. You tell me something about my doppelganger, and I’ll tell you something about yours.”

Harry’s eyes flitted down to meet Caitlin’s face. Caitlin couldn’t read his expression – and for a moment, she was sure that he would turn down the suggestion. Instead, Harry sat down at the edge of his bed and leaned forward, an odd smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Go on, then,” he said almost lightly, “let’s humor ourselves.”

At the last second, Caitlin added, “Three things at once. Two truths and a lie. Guess which one is the lie.”

Harry lifted an eyebrow. “And what would be the point in that?”

Caitlin matched his movement by raising a shoulder. “Makes things interesting.”

Harry shook his head, but he obliged. Holding up a hand, he ticked off, “She had a sweet tooth. She wore too much blue, even before she became Killer Frost. She’s got a strong gut for drinks.”

Caitlin’s lips parted slightly in surprise. “Either _this_ Caitlin Snow is _extremely_ different from me, or you’re just giving me three lies instead of one.”

Harry shrugged. “You wanted some truth. I gave you some.”

Caitlin sighed. She drummed her fingers against her knees. One of them exactly hit Harry’s knee, though neither of them seemed to acknowledge it. She narrowed her eyes up at Harry and finally, she said, “I’m guessing the drinking part’s a lie. I can’t – anyone can tell you – hold onto _any_ alcohol. Doesn’t seem fair that my doppelganger could.”

Harry only grinned.

“ _No_ ,” Caitlin groaned, stuffing her face into her hands. “Really?”

“She was actually rather fun at staff gatherings,” Harry told her lightly. “And she didn’t wear too much blue before her transformation, if you could believe it.”

Caitlin sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “Fine,” she replied. “It’s my turn, then.” Clearing her throat, she leaned in and said as flatly as she could, “Dr. Wells liked whisky. He had a habit of listening to Broadway songs. And he knew how to flirt.” She said the last part quickly, almost as a side note – but still, Harry’s eyes widened, obviously caught off-guard.

“The flirting one,” Harry said, leaning back.

Caitlin casually examined her nails, letting the realization settle in.

Harry made another disbelieving, incredulous sound. “You’re not being serious.”

“He was good at it,” Caitlin said, trying her best to sound nonchalant. She didn’t bother looking up at Harry. “Good charisma. I don’t really know what kind of music he actually listened to, though. Cisco bets that it’s something like opera, but I’m not too sure.”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“Is it really important for you to know that he flirted well?”

“Not necessarily, but –”

“Scientific reasons?” Caitlin quipped. Harry only averted his eyes. Caitlin crossed her legs. With a toe, she nudged the space next to Harry. “Come on, it’s your turn.”

Harry heaved out a great sigh. Caitlin could already tell that the man was starting to regret ever signing up for this ordeal – but still, he pushed on, “She was…a fan of animated movies. Didn’t like mustard. Good at…” He gestured mindlessly. “Flirting.”

“You’re not allowed to copy me, Harry,” Caitlin chided. “So I’ll go with the flirting part as a lie.”

Harry shook his head once.

“Oh.”

The two sat there like that, both contemplating in equal amounts of bewilderment and horror at what their doppelgangers must have been like.

“It’s a good thing I’ve never met my copy,” they said in unison.

Caitlin felt heat crawl up her cheeks. Quickly standing up, she grabbed her chair and said, “But anyways. That was all for scientific purposes, right?”

Harry stood up, too. “Of course,” he answered, not entirely looking at Caitlin. “There was nothing else to it. Nothing –” He cut himself off abruptly. His foot had slammed into Caitlin’s chair. He winced, rubbing his heel as Caitlin quickly dropped the chair.

“Sorry,” she said hurriedly, scooting the chair away. “I should –” She paused, her fingertips just barely grazing Harry’s knee. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Should I get something? I mean, I know that you didn’t exactly hurt yourself but –”

“I’m fine,” Harry replied, standing up. “Everything’s fine.”

“Right,” Caitlin nodded.

Harry nodded back.

And just as if things couldn’t get even more awkward, someone called, “Daddy? Are you –”

Caitlin and Harry both turned to see Jesse standing a few feet away from them. Jesse blinked in surprise, taking in the image – Caitlin still halfway bent towards Harry, chair just behind them – a bed –

Jesse’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “ _Okay_ ,” she said, turning around on her heel. “Right. Well, I think I heard Cisco saying something about needing some help in the cortex, anyways, so…”

“It’s not what it looks like!” Caitlin and Harry both shouted.

 


End file.
